Drawing Game

ABSTRACT

In a method of game play, a transparent drawing board and a plurality of game cards are provided. A first player is assigned to be a picturist, and a second player is assigned to be a tracer. The picturist uses a non-marking tool to draw an image of the target clue on a first surface of the drawing board. A second player uses a marking tool to trace the image on a second surface of the drawing board. Players guess what the clue is based on the image being drawn on the board.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/780,239, entitled “Drawing Game” and filed on Mar. 13, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

There are a variety of games in the art in which players guess a clue, such as a word or phrase. For example, in Charades a player acts out an item without speaking, while the other players guess the clue. In Password®, a target word or phrase is described by one player by saying associated words, and another player must guess the target word based on these verbal hints. Pictionary® is another guessing game, in which a player draws a clue without any verbal description, while the other players guess the clue based on the sketch. As these types of guessing games have remained popular over many years, there is a continuing need for imaginative ways to play these games.

SUMMARY

In a method of game play, a transparent drawing board and a plurality of game cards are provided. A first player is assigned to be a picturist, and a second player is assigned to be a tracer. The picturist uses a non-marking tool to draw an image of the target clue on a first surface of the drawing board. A second player uses a marking tool to trace the image on a second surface of the drawing board. Players guess what the clue is based on the image being drawn on the board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a game apparatus;

FIGS. 2A-2B show the game apparatus of FIG. 1 in packed and unpacked positions, respectively;

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a game apparatus; and

FIG. 4 is an exemplary of a method of play in some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to an interactive guessing game in which a first player draws an image on a transparent drawing board, without making any visible markings on the board. Another player uses a marker to trace the image being indicated by the first player, and attempts to guess what the image is.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary game apparatus 100 in one embodiment, including a game board 110, a support 120, a marking tool 130, a tray 140 with game cards 150, a die 160, and a timer 170. In other embodiments, the tray 140, die 160 and timer 170 are not included. Drawing board 110 is made of a transparent material such that a player drawing on one surface 112 of board 110 can see what a second player is drawing on an opposite surface 114 of board 110. Drawing board 110, which may also be referred to as a window in this disclosure, provides surfaces on which markings from marking tool 130 may be formed and erased. The transparent material for drawing board 110 may be, for example, plastic or glass, and may include surface coatings to enhance the ability to erase and clean markings from the surface. Marking tool 130 may be, for example, a wet or dry erase marker. Support 120, as embodied here, is a base underneath the drawing board 110 to hold it upright. In other embodiments, support 120 may include, for example, a framing structure from which drawing board 110 is suspended, or may include folding legs which expand outwardly from board 110.

FIGS. 2A and 2B demonstrate an embodiment in which tray 140 may be stored within support 120, and then removed from support 120 during play. The packed position of FIG. 2A may facilitate storage of the entire system when not in use or during transport. In this embodiment, tray 140 fits underneath support 120, such as by a snap fit. In other embodiments, tray 140 may be, for example, a drawer that slides out of support 120, or a tray that rotates out from underneath support 120. Tray 140 may be configured to hold marking tool 130 and the set of game cards 150, as well as die 160 and timer 170. FIG. 2B shows an unpacked position of the game apparatus 100, as indicated by the dashed lines, with the tray 140 removed from support 120. FIG. 2B also shows that the drawing board 110 may be removable from support 120. In the embodiment shown, support 120 has a slot 125 into which drawing board 110 is inserted. In other embodiments, drawing board 110 may be held by support 120 using, for example, posts inserted into grooves, or fasteners such as straps or screws.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a game apparatus 200, which includes drawing board 210, a support 220, a marker 230 and a set of game cards 250. In this embodiment, support 220 is integral with tray 240 and includes slots 225 into which drawing board 210 is insertable. Thus, board 210 is removable from support 220 to facilitate storage of the game apparatus 200. The slot 225 and frame for drawing board 210 may include features to help secure the two components together, such as a tab snapping into a groove, a pin slid into a hole, or a tab rotated onto a lip of the drawing frame.

In one exemplary method of game play, two or more teams of players are formed. The first team chooses a picturist, who is the person that will be conveying a clue to be guessed. The picturist chooses a selected game card from the deck of game cards 150/250. Each card has a target clue such as, for example, a noun, verb, phrase, person, or place. The cards may have one clue, or in some embodiments may have different categories of items from which the target clue may be chosen, such as sports, celebrities, movies, geography, or the like. The drawing board 110/210 is placed in support 120/220 such that first surface 112/212 and second surface 114/214 are simultaneously accessible to the players. The picturist does not visibly draw the target clue on the window 110/210 but instead uses a non-marking tool such as their finger or a stylus to “draw” the clue on the window. While the picturist is making their drawing using their finger or other non-marking instrument, a second teammate on the first team uses the marker 130/230 to trace the image being indicated by the picturist, thus creating a visible drawing. In some embodiments, the picturist uses their non-marking tool against a front surface 112/212 of the window 110/210, while the second teammate attempts to follow the non-marking tool with the marker 130/230 on an opposite, back surface 114/214 of the window 110/210. The second teammate with the marker and any remaining teammates are allowed to guess the clue. That is, the picturist, tracer, and players who are guessing the target clue are on the same team. The picturist may not talk or use any actions to describe the target clue. They may only draw out the clue with their finger, hoping that their teammates can accurately trace it.

A timer may be used to set a predetermined time limit, such as one minute or 30 seconds, in which the team members must guess the clue. If the picturist's team correctly guesses the clue before time runs out, then they keep the card. In other embodiments, the score may be tallied using points instead of the number of cards. If the picturist's team does not correctly guess the clue before time runs out, then the second team has a chance to guess the clue. The second team may be given only one guess, or may be given a time limit to submit more than one guess. If the second team guesses correctly, they keep the card or gain a point. The entire procedure is then repeated by the second team, with the second team choosing a picturist to draw a clue for their team. The team that achieves a winning condition, such as reaching a specified total number of points, or accumulating the most points in an overall allotted time, wins the game.

In another embodiment, players may compete as individuals rather than dividing the group into a plurality of teams. A first person serves as the picturist, and a second person traces the image with the marker. The second person and the other remaining players attempt to guess the clue being conveyed by the picturist. The player who is the fastest to correctly identify the target clue gains a point. The players take turns being the picturist and the tracer, until each person has had a turn, or until a winner is determined such as by reaching a certain number of points or having the most points at the end of a certain amount of time.

In some embodiments, the die 160 may be used to select a clue that is to be sketched. For example, the die 160 may be a standard die with dots indicating the numbers one through six, and the game cards 150/250 may each have six clues on them. The picturist rolls the die, and then must draw the clue on the card that corresponds to the number on the die. That is, if the number three is rolled, then the picturist must draw the clue next to the number three on the card. In other embodiments, the die may have symbols instead of numbers, where the symbols correspond to the types of clues listed on a game card. In yet further embodiments, the die may be configured with a wild card number or symbol. For example, the game cards may list five clues, and the number six on the die may be designated to indicate that the picturist can choose to draw any one of the five clues.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart 300 showing a method of play in some embodiments. In step 310, a transparent drawing board is provided. A plurality of game cards is provided in step 320. In step 330, the players are instructed to assign a first player to be the picturist and a second player to be the tracer. The picturist is instructed to select a game card with a target clue in step 340, and the picturist is then instructed to draw the target clue with a non-marking tool in step 350. In some embodiments, the picturist may be instructed to be prohibited from the use of talking or actions to convey the target clue. In step 360, the tracer is instructed to use a marking tool to trace the image being indicated by the picturist. In step 370, one or more players other than the picturist are directed to guess the target clue. If a designated player or team is unable to guess the clue in a predetermined time, another player or team may be given the opportunity to guess the correct answer. In step 375, a player or team who has correctly guessed the target clue may be assigned an indicator such as, but not limited to, the card with the target clue, a point, or a token. After the players have been an opportunity to guess, steps 330-375 may be repeated to conduct subsequent rounds of play, by selecting a different player other than the first player to be the picturist in step 380. Step 380 may optionally include selecting a different player other than the second player to be the tracer as well. The first or second player may be instructed to erase the image traced by the marking tool from the transparent drawing board. In step 390, the players are instructed to determine a winner based on reaching a predetermined winning condition, such as correctly guessing a predetermined number of target clues, or correctly guessing the most target clues in a predetermined time.

In other embodiments, different modes of play may be added. For example, FIGS. 1 and 3 show that game cards 150 and 250 include three types of cards, each corresponding to a mode of play. Players may voluntarily select which mode to play for that round, or may have the choice randomly made by a selection device such as, but not limited to, dice or spinners. The modes of play may all be worth the same points or may have different point values. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the “Mirror-Mirror” game cards may be clues for the tracing type of play described above. The “Classic” cards may be for traditional play in which the picturist uses the marker to draw a visible image on the window, for their teammates to guess. Other numbers of modes, such as three or more, may include other variations of drawing or guessing types of play. In some embodiments, the winning condition can include requiring that the winning team must have at least one card from each category.

In one embodiment of a mode of play, called “Action” in FIG. 3, the picturist uses the marker to draw on the drawing board 210 but may also take the board 210 out of the base and use it as a prop. The clues in this category are all actions, and the player may use the image that they have drawn to assist in acting out the target clue. For example, if the clue is “strumming,” the player may draw a guitar on board 210 and then hold board 210 to demonstrate a strumming action. In another example, the player may draw a steering wheel on board 210 and use it to convey the clue “driving.”

While the specification has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of game play, the method comprising the steps of: i) providing a transparent drawing board having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface are simultaneously accessible to players; ii) providing a plurality of game cards, wherein each game card comprises a clue; iii) instructing a plurality of players to assign a first player to be a picturist and a second player to be a tracer; iv) instructing the picturist to choose a selected game card with a target clue; v) instructing the picturist to use a non-marking tool to draw an image of the target clue on the first surface; vi) instructing the tracer to use a marking tool on the second surface to trace the image being drawn by the picturist on the first surface; and vii) directing a player other than the picturist to guess the target clue.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-marking tool is a finger of the picturist.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking tool is a marker.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (v) further comprises instructing the picturist to be prohibited from the use of talking or actions to convey the target clue.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of instructing the plurality of players to conduct a subsequent round of play, wherein in the subsequent round of play a player other than the first player is the picturist, and wherein the subsequent round of play comprises repeating steps (iii)-(vii).
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein in the subsequent round of play, a player other than the second player is the tracer.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning an indicator to a player who correctly guesses the target clue.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of instructing the plurality of players to determine a winner based on a winning condition, wherein the winning condition is chosen from the group consisting of correctly guessing a predetermined number of target clues, and correctly guessing the most target clues in a predetermined time.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of players compete individually against each other.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of instructing the plurality of players to divide into a plurality of teams.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the picturist and the tracer are on the same team, and wherein the players on the same team guess the target clue.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (iii)-(vii) comprise a first mode of play, and wherein the plurality of game cards comprises at least a second type of card corresponding to at least a second mode of play.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of instructing the plurality of players to select a mode of play.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of instructing one of the first player and the second player to erase the image traced by the marking tool from the transparent drawing board.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a support for the transparent drawing board.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the support holds the transparent drawing board upright.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the support is a base into which the transparent drawing board is inserted.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the support is removable from the transparent drawing board.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of providing a tray that is capable of being stored in the support.
 20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a tray configured to hold the plurality of game cards and the marking tool. 